STERLING, Virginia (AP) – A senior Pentagon official apologized Friday to Washington-area Muslims for the burning of Qurans at a military base in Afghanistan.

Peter Lavoy, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asia and Pacific security affairs, said the military is investigating what occurred and that all 140,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan are being retrained in the handling of religious materials.

Lavoy apologized multiple times during a brief speech during prayer services at the ADAMS Center in Sterling, one of the largest mosques in the country.

“I come here today to apologize on behalf of the Department of Defense for the incident that took place in Afghanistan this week,” Lavoy told worshippers, saying the burnings were done “unknowingly and improperly.”

Lavoy’s remarks at the suburban Washington mosque follow protests across Afghanistan over the burning of several Qurans at a U.S. military base. Military officials say at least 20 people have died in the protests, including two U.S. soldiers.

Imam Mohamed Magid, executive director of the ADAMS Center mosque and president of the Islamic Society of North America, said Friday’s session was designed to let Muslims around the world know that American Muslims were also concerned about the incident but were able to express those concerns and receive an apology and promise of a thorough investigation without resorting to violence.

“It was very satisfying, very heartwarming to hear an apology three times in one speech,” Magid said after the services.

Magid said Muslims across the world are rightfully concerned and upset to hear that Qurans were burned in a careless manner. But he said that “absolutely the violence we have seen is unacceptable from an Islamic perspective.”

Magid said the Pentagon reached out to him and other Muslim leaders earlier this week, and he went to the Pentagon on Thursday to meet with officials, who offered to come to his mosque and speak directly to its members.

“As American Muslims we engage with our government and we hold them accountable if something goes wrong,” Magid told nearly 1,000 worshippers during midday services.

Lavoy did not take questions from worshippers or reporters after Friday’s speech.

Not everyone who heard Lavoy’s speech was satisfied. Mauri Saalakhan of Silver Spring, Md., who operates the Peace Thru Justice Foundation and came to ADAMS Center to hear Lavoy’s remarks, said that an apology is helpful but insufficient. He said he simply does not believe that the Qurans were mistakenly burned and that the burnings of the Quran are relatively minor compared to the suffering that has been inflicted on the Afghan people as a result of the war.

25 Responses

YEAH! This is Sick! According to the Marines involved, those Korans that were burned where actually written in with specific plans of attacks and terrorism. It’s OK for anyone to burn our Bibles and we don’t kill them, but to burn a Koran?

Give me a Break! And God Bless the 2 Marines who were Assassinated as the result! They will answer to GOD for Murdering so many – and believing a LIE!

There is Only One GOD! The God of Abraham, Jacob and Issac! And he Only has ONE SON – Jesus! And God has Only One Holy Spirit! Genesis 1: 1 -5, and verse 26 shows the 3! It’s very simple for us! Jesus did the Hard work! He made it easy for US to accept the truth! Which I have been Blessed with!

You are so right. The fair and balanced media also said that the Korans that were burned had written messages from the prisoners. That is forbidden by the Islamic religion. So we actually did them a favor. Stop apologizing Mr. President.

We are a nation of PIMPS and WHORES with reguards to the ISLAM SLUTS. If Washington burned down today it would not be a great loss with all the RINO’S and yellow belly CRUD THAT LIVES THERE. Washington is no better now than a 3rd world DICTATOR SHIP from a world of GREATNESS. Time to CLEAN OUT THE SENATE AND CONGRESS of all the crap that is there now with honest and true PATRIOTS who belive in the REPUBLIC we once were. LOCK AND LOAD.

It appears that our 21st century minds cannot adjust to the 7th century thinking of our antagonists.While burning Korans in Afghanistan may not be the nicest thing one could do, it does not warrant the groveling and apologies that our Muslim President and other high level officials have offered and continue to offer.This is appeasement and is a sign of weakness. We know that this weakness only opens the door for more give-away, as we should have learned from the Israeli/PLO negotiations of the past 19 years.

Book-burning of the Koran, as a form of desecration, cannot compare to events performed by Islamics, which have not been apologized for. We can begin with the 30 day occupation of thr Church of the Nativity, in Bethlehem, about 10 years ago. when the pages of the Christian bible were used as toilet paper. And the invisceration of two Israeli soldiers who took a wrong turn. We can site the beheading of a newspaper correspondant and others, hanging the bodies of contractors on a bridge in Baghdad after they killed them and burned the bodies. We can cite more current examples of hate and violence when we discuss the situation of Christian Copts in Egypt and the genocide of Christians in Nigeria and the Sudan. I have yet to hear apologies for these desecrations.

The action of hate and violence in Afghanistan and other places stens from the Koran. It is time we Westerers wake up to the fact that we are in a war for survival of our 21st century civilization. If we lose, we and our descendents will live under the yoke of 7th century mentality, where force and violence are the only elements that are respected

these books were desectated;the inmates had used them to convey messages to each other;they should have been burned for that reason alone;so would any high priest of any religion say;in addition;they were burned without malice;does Islam burn anything without malice?Why apoligize for doing the right thing;why apoligize at all;it is Afghanistan that needs to apologize.It is the president of Afghanistan that needs to apologize for sending tons of opium and Heroin to America with all his BCCI friendsI have no representation in the American government.This is a fact.That shall surely change very soon.If we are going to have prk in the government so much;we need to share it with the starving Muslims of the world who are ruled by monsters .Death to Allah.

I feel like O has shown that he is as weak as they come and even the terrorists don’t respect him. When Clinton said they act like they do is because they are poor, I knew we were in deep dodo. I think both O and Clinton should be ashamed to take the side of our enemies.

He is NOT weak. He is a practicing Muslim. He will defend ISlam over the US constitution. What would I’m a dinner jacket do in his place? Same thing….. Look at the people O has had to the white house. They belong in Gitmo, not working in Homeless security.

Apology should have read: We are so sorry that Allah made his followers such morons. I’m up for a BLT for lunch. These people murder each other but not nearly fast enough. I hope they can all come to the US and become one of us. They are such peace loving people and so smart. OMG now stands for: Obama Must Go.

Whether in Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya or wherever, if the West is fighting muslims it’s a one way war. Consider, Western soldiers (or Peace Keepers) wear uniforms–muslims never do. Western forces abide by the Geneva Convention, muslims never do. Western forces have an innate decency, muslims never do. I could go on, but you get the picture.

That Americans (the Pentagon) should even think of apologizing to these inbred, illiterate sub humans is beyond belief; if this is really how they think in the Pentagon, wait for them to send a delegation to Afghanistan with the “Keys to America”.

I knew obama would apologize to his muslim friends, but had hoped the American Military could be counted on to protect the country. Not so, it would seem. While there are signs one or two European countries are starting to awaken, (not England) it appears islamisation of American is galloping.

A military officer can only advance to Major General (2 stars) on military competency. After that, it is all politics. Congress must approve all General Officer promotions so Lieutenant Generals (3 stars) are all politicians. They will forget their oath to defend the US Constitution in exchange for advancement and influence.

We need a revolution to restore the Constitution – don’t count on help from any Lieutenant Generals and up.

Why doesn’t someone just wave a Bible at the Muslims, and refer them to Ephesians 4:26? (They live in violation of its command to never let the sun go down on their anger.) Oh, I know why: it’s because neither the president nor his entire administration is remotely familiar with the Bible, not actually being Christian.

First of all, these Kurans had messages written in them from the prisoners which is forbidden by the Islamist religion. Why do we always apologize and the Islam Brotherhood gets away with MURDERING our troops and condemns people for being Christian.

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